


Surprise Gifts

by orphan_account



Series: HYDRA verse [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: BAMF Bucky Barnes, BAMF Steve Rogers, BAMF everyone, Hydra (Marvel), M/M, Not Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, SHIELD, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-09
Updated: 2015-10-09
Packaged: 2018-02-24 17:00:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 15,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2589287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brock Rumlow is given an assignment- try to recruit Captain America, aka Steve Rogers.  To his surprise- and the surprise and awe of every HYDRA agent in existence- he does.  In doing so, he also provides for the perfect reward for the Asset, aka the Winter Soldier, aka Bucky Barnes.</p><p>But Steve has plans of his own, and the fact that Bucky is alive doesn't really change them- just adds to them.  HYDRA may regret Rumlow's success.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is not complete, so updates may be erratic and far apart. Unfortunately, real life has been crazy, so I can't make any promises about fast updates beyond the first 4 chapters.
> 
> This work was written as a kinkmeme fill at http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/19994.html?thread=47479578#t47479578.

The Winter Soldier paused outside his handler's door as he heard voices within. It was his handler, Pierce, and the man who sometimes acted as his field handler, Rumlow. 

"It'll take time," Rumlow was saying. "And I'm not sure I can actually do it."

"I understand," Pierce replied. "I don't expect this to a be a quick mission. If you do succeed, you will be very well rewarded. If you fail, you will not face any consequences. This mission is a long shot, simply a hope."

The Winter Soldier raised an eyebrow. That was a first. He'd never heard of a mission that had no negative consequences for failure. They must not be sure whatever it was could even be done.

"On the other hand, if it does work, we might finally have a way to reward Barnes," Rumlow said. "I mean... two birds, one stone and all. They'd both like it, I think."

Pierce chuckled. "Yes, good point. Very well. And if nothing else works, we still have Zola's equipment, but I'd really rather it didn't come to that."

The Winter Soldier wondered, for a moment, why he'd get a reward. After all, he only did his job. He also wondered who they wanted to recruit, but neither of these things mattered.

He entered the room, precisely on time.

"Ah, there you are," his handler said.

The Soldier nodded once, ready for whatever mission he was going to be assigned.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Rumlow was up to something, Steve Rogers decided. He wasn't sure what the other man was up to, but it was something.

It wasn't as simple as trying to get in Steve's good graces, though that was a part of it. Rumlow seemed to be feeling Steve out, getting to know what Steve believed in. Who he might be doing it for, Steve had no clue. And it might just be for himself, though Steve doubted it.

No, Rumlow was doing it for someone else. Who, Steve couldn't even begin to guess, but it was happening.

So... what was Steve going to do about it? He could report Rumlow to someone else, and that would deal with the problem, but so far, at least, it wasn't a dangerous thing. For all Steve knew, it might just be someone at SHIELD wanted to make sure Captain America was as he'd been portrayed to be. 

Steve nodded to himself, as he pretended to be bent over his sketchbook, not paying attention to anyone else in the room with him. For now, he'd just keep any eye out. If he was right, then he'd have to tell someone.

In some back corner of his mind, a suspicion unfurled. It was impossible, but... *cut off one head...* that same corner whispered.

Oh God, Steve hoped he was wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

Everything came to a head one day. Steve was off duty, and he was out at the Mall, doing an architectural study of the Lincoln Memorial when he realized that someone was behind him. He looked up and turned around. Rumlow was leaning over his shoulder, looking at the sketch. "You know, I've never seen one of your drawings before, Cap," Rumlow said casually. "You're always sketching something, but I've never really looked at it. You're pretty good."

"Thanks," Steve said. "Is something up?"

Rumlow smiled. "No, I was just enjoying my down time, and saw you here. I got curious."

"Fair enough," Steve replied. "So... I've been meaning to ask you something for a while now," he started. He was tired of wondering and second guessing himself. It was time and past time to take the bull by the horns.

Rumlow, apparently realizing that Steve was serious about something, turned his full attention to Steve.

"Why are you sounding me out?" Steve asked.

"Cap?" Rumlow asked, playing dumb.

Steve shook his head. "You've been asking where I stand on a... well, on practically every issue in the world Why?"

Rumlow sobered. "I wondered if you even noticed," he murmured. "It's... well, part of it is Pierce- Alexander Pierce- asked me to. And yes, I was a bit curious, I wanted to see how a man from the forties thought."

"Pierce. Secretary Pierce?" Steve asked.

Rumlow nodded. "Besides, Cap, I like getting to know you. You've got a wicked sense of humor."

Steve nodded. "But that's not all, is it, Rumlow?" he asked. "You're telling me reasons... but not the real reason."

Rumlow swallowed. "I think you should come with me," he said. "I'll explain everything, but Pierce should be there."

Steve frowned but packed up his sketchbook. His portfolio bag had two compartments. One held his art gear, the other his shield. 

Rumlow smirked, but there was something in his eyes that told Steve that he was worried.

The worst of the suspicions Steve had been harboring began to whisper yet again. And his plans if that suspicion was true began to reply.


	3. Chapter 3

Alexander Pierce turned as Rumlow led Captain Rogers in. He was impressed, honestly, that Rumlow had even gotten things this far. He'd never expected that Captain Rogers had any beliefs similar to HYDRA's. He'd been fully prepared to either kill the man or make him loyal though the same methods that had been used on Barnes.

But the fact that Rumlow was even bringing him here meant they had a chance. A chance to get Captain America on their side was a coup d'état they couldn't resist. 

Rogers was looking around the office. "Captain Rogers, it's an honor to meet you," Pierce said.

Rogers nodded. "And you, Secretary Pierce," he said.

"I mean it," Pierce said. "My father served in the 101st."

Rogers winced slightly, almost unnoticeably. 

Pierce sighed and nodded apologetically. "And I suppose Agent Rumlow wants me to explain things?"

"Yes sir," Rumlow said.

Pierce nodded. "Very well," he replied. "This is going to take some time, Captain, so please, sit down."

They all sat around the small table Pierce kept in his office. Pierce sat casually, but he had his hand ready to press down on a panic button that would call in a team to take Rogers down if necessary. "What do you know about what happened after you took the plane down, Captain?" Pierce asked. "Specifically, are you aware of Operation Paperclip?"

Rogers frowned. "Something to do with scientists, I think," he said. "I'm still working my way through all the history I missed."

"It isn't a very well known part of history, either," Pierce said. "Back after the war, we needed scientists, and we wanted the best. We brought many German scientists over, to gain their knowledge. It's because of that, we made it to the moon first, among other things."

He paused. "Arnin Zola was one of them."

Roger's face went white. "That monster?" he whispered.

Pierce sighed. "Captain, he was just a man who did what he had to do to survive."

"By experimenting on prisoners," Rogers spat.

Pierce sighed. "Captain, I understand your anger," he said. "But Dr. Zola died in the 1970s."

Rogers nodded. "Of course. But what does this have to do with what whatever you asked Rumlow to do?" his face was blank. Pierce had no idea what he was thinking.

Pierce sighed. "Zola was picked up by the SSR, and eventually the new SHIELD," he said. "And he... developed programs to help us."

Rogers nodded. "You're beating around a bush, here, Secretary," he said. "What is it that you don't want to tell me?"

Pierce sighed. Rogers was smarter and more perceptive than anyone had realized. "He created a group in SHIELD to help keep the world safe, and under control. It was a group that was willing to go to extreme lengths to keep the world safe."

"And under control," Rogers commented.

"Well, yes," Pierce said. "You have to admit, the world isn't very controlled right now."

Rogers scowled but sighed. "You're HYDRA, aren't you?" he said, sounding resigned. 

"Not the HYDRA you're thinking of," Pierce said.

Rogers nodded, but his eyes looked hooded. "So I... it was for nothing, wasn't it?"

"Not at all, Captain," Pierce said. "The HYDRA that was needed to be stopped. Schmidt needed to be stopped. And nearly every member of HYDRA as it is today would have died, or wouldn't even have been born if you hadn't stopped him."

Rogers sighed. He didn't look happy. "It's not all of SHIELD," he said.

Pierce shook his head. "No, of course not," he said. "A lot of people wouldn't be able to accept it."

"What makes you think I'm one who can?" Rogers asked. 

Pierce smiled. "You care about people, Captain," he said. "And you want to protect them. That's what we do, same as SHIELD. We're just a bit more proactive about it."

Rogers did not look happy at all.

"You could think of it as just a group that happens to share a name with another group," Rumlow said. "We really aren't much like the HYDRA Schmidt led."

Rogers nodded shortly. "I..." he stood up and headed for the windows. "I need to think," he said, staring out at the view.

His shoulders were set and he appeared to be arguing with himself. He was quiet, staring at nothing for a long, long time. He finally turned around and looked at them. He looked agonized. "Ok," he said. "What do you need me to do?"

Pierce smiled slowly. "Captain, what you're already doing," he said. "You just might be doing some jobs that the rest of SHIELD won't know about. But... that's about it. Just the same things you've always done."

Pierce laughed briefly. "And we'll probably partner you occasionally with one of our operatives. He's codenamed the Winter Soldier, and I think the two of you would complement each other's strengths."

Rogers frowned. "Oh?" he asked.

Pierce nodded. "You and he should work well together," he said with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, it begins...
> 
> What is Steve up to, do you think?
> 
> Also, Pierce is a Lying Liar Who Lies. HYRDA is is a Nazi tiger that doesn't change it's stripes.


	4. Chapter 4

Rumlow was only barely able to hide his excitement. This was what he had been working towards for months.

"There are three goals in this exercise," Pierce told Rogers. "Defeat your opponent, keep your mask on, and take his mask off."

Rogers was holding the mask in question. He was wearing a t-shirt and workout pants, and looked a bit quizzical. After a moment, he put the black face mask on. His eyes and forehead were still visible, but the mask covered everything else. "I'm more used to a helmet," he said after he shook his head a few times, testing the mask.

Rumlow shifted. The mask was exactly the same as the one Barnes used out in the field. There was something very right about seeing it on Rogers. It looked like Rogers had finally joined the right side. "Well, Cap, there will be times that Captain Rogers has to do things Captain America can't."

"True," Rogers agreed. A second later, his eyes lit up in amusement. "I assume someone has money on this little fight," he said.

Rumlow laughed. "Cap, everyone has money on this fight," he said. "The two of you are both legends in your own ways." He smirked. "I have money riding on this."

"I notice you haven't said who you have money on," Rogers said wryly. 

"Yes, quite, Rumlow," Pierce said. "It's time, Captain."

He led them to the fairly small gym that only those who had joined HYDRA were aware of. Rogers was only the newest of the recruits. The room was close to full, with everyone who could conceivably sneak away without suspicion coming to watch, if they fit in the room. Rumlow suspected that anyone who wasn't here regretted the fact. Barnes was already there, mask in place.

On Pierce's signal, Barnes and Rogers stepped into the center area. They eyed each other. Rumlow tried not to smirk. One man had light hair, the other dark. Both had blue eyes, and wore workout clothes and no shoes. They both wore identical masks. One had a metal arm. 

They looked like they were two sides of the same coin. Rumlow nodded. They were, honestly. Both of them were the only two successful recipients of the serum, though they received it from two different sources. 

Rumlow joined the STRIKE team to watch. He had spent the last month being treated with a certain amount of awe from all but these men. Of course, these men knew both him and Rogers, so it wasn't surprising that they weren't surprised.

Rogers nodded to Barnes. Barnes rolled his left shoulder back and nodded back. "Shall we?" he asked.

Rogers' brow furrowed as if there was something he found odd about Barnes' voice. "Let's," was all he said.

Barnes' brow furrowed in turn, but he didn't say anything else. And in that moment, Rogers moved.

It was clear that, at first, neither of them were going full out. They'd both been told not to seriously hurt their opponent, and neither of them knew the other was serum enhanced.

But, fairly quickly, they sped up. And soon they were going so fast it was hard for Rumlow to follow the action. 

It was only in brief pauses that he was able to take mental notes. Barnes had an advantage with his metal arm, but Rogers was slightly faster and stronger. Barnes was more likely to incorporate gymnastics, but Rogers didn't hesitate to use his natural agility in the fight.

They were, in the end, evenly matched. Rumlow wasn't surprised. However, he was annoyed that he couldn't follow the action closely enough. "Please tell me someone is recording this. I want to study it," he said to Jack.

"I'm pretty sure it's being recorded," Jack replied.

Suddenly, Rogers lashed out and kicked Barnes in the side, just as Barnes brought his hand down hard on Roger's head. Rogers hit the ground hard, rolling slightly so he landed away from Barnes. Barnes flew back and hit the ground himself.

The falls jarred their masks off. Rogers' eyes fluttered open after a moment, as Barnes was catching his breath and getting back up. Rogers, however, didn't move and kept his body relaxed. Barnes silently approached Rogers. Just as he reached down with his flesh and blood hand, Rogers turned, grabbed the other man's hand and used the momentum to...

Rumlow wasn't sure exactly what had happened, but it ended with Rogers straddling Barnes, his hand against Barnes' throat as if it was a knife, and Barnes' left arm lightly gripping Rogers' throat.

They both froze as they stared at each other Everyone held their breaths. This was it.

"Steve?"

"Bucky?"

Barnes blinked up at Rogers in shock. "But... you died. You put that damn plane in the water and you died..."

At the same moment, Rogers began talking. "But you fell off that godforsaken train."

Neither of them seemed to believe their own eyes.

Slowly, Rogers rolled off Barnes and stood up. Barnes stood up as well. Neither of them took their eyes off the other. "I don't... Zola," Rogers said. "When he experimented on you in the POW camp."

Barnes nodded. "And the serum let you survive taking the plane down," he breathed.

A second later, Rogers moved forward and reached out to hug Barnes. Barnes met him, and for a long moment, they just held each other.

Showing just why he was the leader, Pierce signaled for everyone else to leave.

Rumlow was the last out. He looked back just before leaving, and Barnes and Rogers were simply holding each other. They didn't even seem to realize everyone else was gone.

The door closed behind him.

Pierce was waiting just outside. "Well done, Agent," he said.

Rumlow smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve didn't want to let go, but he had to. As much as he'd love to just hold Bucky for forever, he couldn't. He stepped back, just enough so that he could watch Bucky's face. "Buck, I..." he swallowed. "I never thought..."

Bucky nodded. "I know, Steve, I know," he pulled Steve back in. "When I was told you took that plane down... God, my first thought was 'it's my fault he's dead'."

Steve shook his head. "No, Buck, I had to take the plane down. The bombs would have killed so many if I didn't."

"But you would have tried to escape, if I hadn't fallen off that train If you didn't think I was dead."

Steve sighed. "No," he said. "The plane was on autopilot. I couldn't disable it, and it took me all my strength just to keep the nose pointed down. If I had let go, it would have leveled out. There was no way I could have left the plane."

Bucky sagged against Steve for a moment. "Oh," he said faintly.

Steve sighed and ran his hand through Bucky's long hair. "What is up with your hair, Bucky?" he asked, changing the subject. "You never liked it long before."

Bucky chuckled hoarsely against Steve's shoulder. "Things change," he said. "But you're here. How long...?"

Steve sighed. "A little more than a year," he admitted. "I... was having trouble finding my feet, for a long time."

"Not now?"

Steve smiled slightly. "Not anymore," he said. And he was doing better. Nothing in this new century had felt right, but now he felt like he was finally back on solid ground. Bucky was here.

But he had to ask, he had to know. "Bucky..." he trailed off. "What about you? You don't look any older."

Bucky sighed and lifted his head. Once again, and for the first time in nearly seventy years, Steve was reminded that he was taller than Bucky now. Steve shoved that thought to the side.

"The serum, Steve," he said. "I was frozen, too, for a couple of years. It was nearly 1948 when I was found by a HYDRA patrol. At first, they were- well, this was back when HYDRA was small, and they thought I was dead in the ice, so they were going to bring my body back."

Steve nodded.

"But then they realized that I was alive. They replaced my arm and..." Bucky paused for a long moment, visibly searching for the correct word. "...Convinced me to join them."

Steve's eyes widened. That pause had told him all he needed to know. Bucky hadn't willingly joined HYDRA. Now, how they had "convinced" Bucky, Steve didn't know, but probably hadn't been pretty.

Bucky didn't notice Steve thinking. "They gave me a new arm," Bucky continued. "And..." he shrugged. "Here we are."

"Here we are," Steve agreed. "And now we're together."

Bucky nodded, eyes bright. "We're here, together, and..." he looked around. "Maybe we should get out of the gym."

Steve looked around at the room that was deserted aside from them. "Yeah, that might be a good idea. But I don't think I can let you out of my sight for a while."

Bucky nodded. "Me neither," he said.

They walked out of the gym, to find the Pierce, Rumlow, and the STRIKE team waiting for them. 

Steve blinked. "Sir?" he asked.

Pierce smiled. "Just making sure your reunion went well."

Steve grinned, truly smiled for what felt like the first time in forever. Beside him, Bucky did the same. "I think it did, sir," Bucky said.

Steve had a lot to think about, a lot to plan. But right now, he didn't care about any of that. Bucky was here, and they were together. Nothing else mattered. Not even HYDRA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is the last chapter that's already written. It's going to be a bit of time (no idea how long, hopefully only a couple of days, but it could be longer) before the next one is going to be posted. Just a friendly head's up.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for some Bucky POV

Bucky leaned back against the wall. He was... happy right now. He couldn't remember feeling happy, not for a long time. But, as he watched Steve wipe the floor with the STRIKE team, he was happy.

Steve was here. For far too long, Bucky had wondering if Steve would be alive if he hadn't fallen off the train. And then, he'd known that if Steve was alive, he'd have hated Bucky.

But now... Steve was right there, happy to be with Bucky. Bucky still wasn't sure how much Steve knew about how Bucky came to be a part of HYDRA, but Steve hadn't pushed for more information. Bucky wasn't sure if Steve had been... persuaded the same way Bucky had been, but he must of been. Bucky was sure that otherwise, the only reason Steve would have joined HYDRA would be to destroy it, and he would have to report that.

So Bucky chose to believe that Steve had as much choice in the matter Bucky had.

Bucky looked over as Rumlow dropped down next to him. "Out of the fight?" Bucky asked. The STRIKE team leader looked to be nursing what would soon be a spectacular black eye, but he seemed to be in a good mood. 

"Yep," Rumlow said. "It's a good think Cap is on our side, he's too good a fighter otherwise."

Bucky smirked but didn't say anything. "His fighting style has changed since the War," he said. "He's sneakier."

Rumlow threw his head back and laughed. "God is he ever!" Rumlow said. "Mind you, he can be pretty straightforward when he wants to be, but sometimes, no one can figure out what he's thinking."

Rumlow allowed his chuckles to die down and watched the sparring contemplatively. "You know, he's doing better," he said.

Bucky glanced at Rumlow, who wasn't even looking at Bucky. He was frowning in thought.

"Before, Cap was pretty somber," Rumlow said. "Quiet, a lot of the time. He didn't seem to really care if anything happened to him. He'd smile, but it wasn't... well, it was real, but it wasn't very accurate. Now that I've seen him really smile, I think he was smiling so he didn't cry."

Bucky blinked. "Huh," he said.

"Even after he joined HYDRA," Rumlow continued. "It wasn't until we staged that fight that he started getting better." He turned to look at Bucky. "And you," he started.

Bucky only barely kept his alarm off his face. "Me?" he asked.

Rumlow nodded. "You've changed too."

"I am the Asset, I do not change," Bucky replied, controlling all feeling. He couldn't show fear, not for this.

"Unless we let you," Rumlow said. "And, with Cap here, we know you'll stay loyal, just like him."

Bucky tried to not to show anything, tense and scared.

Rumlow smirked. "You're his, he's ours, and we don't need to worry about you."

He stood up and headed for where they'd left the water bottles.

Bucky stared at him. Steve was HYDRA's? Bucky wasn't so sure. But... it was Steve, so he wouldn't say anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Bucky, even brainwashed, knows Steve better than anyone in the world. And Rumlow has no idea.


	7. Chapter 7

Steve sighed as he turned off the computer. He was deep in the SHIELD base, in the part that the majority of SHIELD didn't know about. "What is it?" Sitwell asked.

Steve rubbed his eyes. "I don't know," he said. "I'm... I'm just no good at this. This mission..." he shrugged. He knew that, as Captain America, he'd have to show how he didn't like what he had to do. HYDRA would expect that much out of him.

Sitwell sighed and gently patted his shoulder. "You're doing pretty well, Captain," he said. "No one suspects anything, you know."

Steve shrugged. "I did my share of black ops before, but the Howlies and I were more often the ones saying "look, I'm over here" while others did the dirty work. I'm more comfortable being the distraction."

Sitwell snickered. "That does explain the Catania mission."

Steve grinned in response. "That was a fun one, and we had a grand time teasing Jim and Dum-Dum when it was over."

"And then there was the time in Lyons," Bucky said as he entered the room. "If we're talking about making fun of Dum-Dum."

Steve threw his head back and laughed. "That one was never on any report," he told Sitwell. We... kinda went off book and took out a small group of SS officers. Dum-Dum... well, he was the best bait for the mission."

Bucky snickered. "He was pissed off," he revealed. "But the disguise was only going to fit him, and how we found something his size, I'll never know."

"I think Dernier was mad at him about something," Steve replied.

Sitwell glanced back and forth between the two of them. Steve turned to the other man. "Never mind, it's not that important," he said.

"I don't think I've ever heard either of you laugh," Sitwell said.

Steve sobered. "I... haven't had much to laugh about," he admitted. "Not in a while."

Bucky looked down at the floor. "Same," he said.

Sitwell looked a bit uncomfortable, but nodded. Steve wasn't sure what he was thinking, but Steve was going to ignore it for now. But he'd remember it and think about it later, he was sure.

"Well, anyway, now that you're here, we can start planning this mission," Steve told Bucky. He shelved his worries for a later date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, I'm not sure what happened in either Catania or Lyons, but Steve and Bucky are whispering "pretending to be loose women" in my brain so...
> 
> Dum-Dum would look fantastic in a dress, wouldn't he?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's the avengers!
> 
> Sorry about the wait, I had some writer's block issues.

Tony Stark eyed Steve as he paced around the large living room. The other people in the room- Natasha Romanov, Clint Barton and Bruce Banner- were also watching.

"So, Cap, you contact me with a burner phone, want me to come up with some completely random charity thing to bring all of us together, and now you won't stop pacing. What's up?" Tony asked. He never was very patient.

"How secure is this room?" Steve asked. "Can anyone- anyone at all, I don't care where they're from, what they do, or who they work for- listen in?"

"Just JARVIS," Tony said. "What's up?"

Steve took a deep breath. "SHIELD is not what we thought it was," he said. He turned to look at Clint and Natasha. "And I'm so sorry, but I had to be sure I could trust you. I checked both your files, and the ones you don't know about. I wanted to be sure I could trust you with this."

Clint blinked. "What is it, Captain?"

Steve closed his eyes. "SHIELD has been infiltrated by an organization dedicated to ruling the world. They want to control everything, and everyone."

Natasha sat up in shock. "What?"

Steve bit his lip. "Not quite forty percent of all SHIELD agents are members of this group," he said. He glanced away. "They recruited me about four months ago," he admitted. "But I knew, before I even agreed, that they needed to be stopped. It's taken me this long to figure out a way to get information that you guys would believe."

"Wait," Clint said. "Are you saying that you've essentially been spying on a group for four months and no one suspects anything? On either side?"

Steve smiled grimly. "No one thinks I can lie all that well."

"So, what group is this?" Tony asked. He was too shocked to ask anything else.

Steve headed over to the bag he'd brought. He opened it to reveal a paper file. There was something familiar about the Octopus seal...

"Oh God," Bruce breathed. "HYDRA?"

Steve nodded grimly. "HYDRA."

"Wait, what were they thinking, recruiting you?" Tony asked.

"Status," Natasha said. "Bragging rights, or maybe they just thought that if they could get their greatest enemy on their side, they'd win."

Steve nodded. "It doesn't really matter," he said. "They think I'm loyal and obedient."

Everyone snorted. "They have read your records, right?" Bruce asked. "You're not obedient even when you agree with your orders."

Steve smiled lopsidedly. "There's just one other thing," he said. "I need..." he shook his head. "Not all of HYDRA's people are there willingly. I've come across at least one case of blackmail, and another of some form of brainwashing."

"They have..." he paused, struggling with something. Tony knew that look, he last saw it on his own face when Pepper had been kidnapped.

"They have someone you care about," Tony said. "They're blackmailing you."

Steve shook his head. "I didn't know about him until after I joined them," he said. "They haven't even thought about using him against me. And he's not there of his own free will. I've discovered that they've spent the last seventy years brainwashing him again and again. He's got the serum, so he keeps healing." He looked pained and guilty. "If I'd known he'd survived, I would never have left him."

"Who?" Natasha asked.

"They call him the Asset or the Winter Soldier," Steve replied.

Clint sat up. "The Winter Soldier is a myth," he exclaimed. "A boogieman."

"No," Steve and Natasha said in unison. "He's real," Steve continued. "And he was a prisoner of war until they found a way to control him."

"Who was he, Captain?" Natasha asked.

Steve swallowed. "Sergeant James Barnes," he replied.

#########

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to have some writing time this weekend, so if I do, I might have another part for you all soon!


	9. Chapter 9

Natasha flipped up and over Rumlow's head. She and the STRIKE team were working out some combat scenarios while they waited for Steve to get out of medical. The doctors had wanted some tests for some reason. Steve had rolled his eyes but gone.

Natasha was having trouble concentrating on the fight, however, now that she knew these men were actually her enemies.

She'd never been one for self delusion, but sometimes, she wished she didn't know. Still, nothing of her thoughts appeared on her face as she spun, back to back with Rumlow as Rollins and the others attacked them.

The fight ended after half the group was on the ground, including Rumlow, and Steve walked in.

He took one look around, and raised an eyebrow. He didn't say anything as Natasha took a step back and relaxed.

Once Rumlow was back up, he and Natasha wandered over to Steve. "So, Cap, what did the docs want?"

Steve shrugged. "Another stress test. I..." his cheeks turned pink.

"You broke another treadmill, didn't you?" Natasha asked.

Steve nodded once, very quickly.

Natasha snickered while Rumlow tried very hard not to laugh.

But inwardly, Natasha watched and catalogued weaknesses. Eventually, she'd need to know.

##################

Clint carefully drew and fired. He was testing a new arrow head. As usual, R&D were watching as he shot arrow after arrow, alternating between the old ones and the new ones. He knew they were making their own notes on the way they flew, but he'd have to make his own comments. He liked the arrows, but he was having a hard time concentrating on the tests.

All he could do was wonder if any of the scientists were making notes on more than just the arrows. He couldn't help but wonder if HYDRA thought he was a good candidate.

For what, Clint wasn't too sure. He'd had someone mind controlling him before, perhaps HYDRA would want more brainwashed slaves. Or maybe they would want to recruit him. Or maybe he was just an enemy.

Or they might not be HYDRA at all. He didn't know, and that was the problem.

None of this showed in his face or stance. He kept working with the arrows, automatically. But he worried.

##############

Tony made another correction to his equations. He wasn't concentrating very well. He'd been spending a lot of time going over old interactions, old memories. "I think Obie was HYDRA," he said out loud.

"Stane?" Bruce asked. He looked to be having just as much trouble concentrating as Tony was.

"Yeah," Tony said. "A few things... they make more sense now. More than just if he was a greedy bastard."

Bruce sighed. "Yeah, I get it," he said. "There's been a few I've wondered about. I'm sure General Ross is just an idiot, though."

Tony snickered. "Me too," he said. "But..."

"How can well tell if someone is greedy for their own sakes, not HYDRA's?"

"Not everyone who we dislike is HYDRA, too."

"But HYDRA has to have infiltrated more than just SHIELD."

"Stark Industries," Tony said quietly. "And any other major tech company."

"CIA, FBI, NSA. The military."

"Congress. The White House."

"Probably not the president himself."

"Probably. But his staff and his cabinet." 

Tony bit his lip. "We don't know who to trust."

"Each other, Tony," Bruce said. "We can trust each other, and Steve, Natasha, and Clint."

Tony nodded somberly. "But, until Steve can find out, no one else."

"But at least we have a few people we can trust."

Tony turned back to his screen. It was good to have a few people to trust. It was definitely better than none.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait- I did indeed have time over the long weekend, however, just before I posted the section, I realized it was better a little farther down the line. I realized I needed a bit more between that part and where I was. 
> 
> And I needed reactions from the other human Avengers. Thor, they don't really know how to contact right now. That may change, if I can figure out how to bring him into the story.
> 
> Anyway, I have one, maybe two more parts before I get to my already written part.


	10. Chapter 10

#############

Steve ran toward the disturbance. Bucky was shouting something, but Steve couldn't make it out. But he knew that tone. Bucky was furious, and he was ready to get violent.

"Where is he?" Bucky yelled. "What have you done to him, why is he even here?"

Steve had to dodge a couple of people, people who seemed to want him to stop. He didn't pause; Bucky needed him. "Bucky!" Steve called out as he skidded into the room.

Most of his attention was focused on Bucky, but he could see there were a lot of very nervous scientists in the room.

Bucky turned and stared at him. "Steve," he whispered. "What are you... why...?"

Steve took a deep breath. This was what he wanted, after all. Bucky was remembering that HYDRA was evil. He was shaking off whatever brainwashing they had done to him.

Thank all that was Holy.

Steve swallowed. He could celebrate later. "I'm here Bucky. What's wrong?"

Bucky barked out a harsh laugh. "What's wrong?" he asked. "What isn't wrong? You and me, we're not supposed to be here."

Steve shrugged. "No, probably not. Neither of us should have survived our falls," he said, pretending to misunderstand. Behind him, some of the scientists shifted.

He didn't look at them, but Bucky did, suddenly wild eyed. "Steve, you can't trust them."

Steve glanced at the scientists. Several of them were twitching and one or two were almost out the door.

Steve turned his attention back to Bucky. "They're scientists," he said.

"They're the ones who did this to me. To us."

Steve's eyebrows raised. Oh. Of course. Bucky thought Steve had been brainwashed as well. "Bucky..." he said quietly.

"No, Steve you don't understand!" Bucky shouted. "You don't..."

Steve stepped forward and caught Bucky into a hug. Mindful of all the people around them, he held Bucky tight. "I do, Buck. I do, I understand completely," he tilted his head and whispered in Bucky's ear. "Eyes and ears everywhere. Trust me."

He tilted his head back. "We're fine, Buck, I promise," he said, louder.

Bucky stared at him in confusion. "But Steve... HYDRA," he protested.

Steve nodded. "I know, Buck. But it's okay," he said. Bucky glared at him. "It is, it really is." Steve smiled. "We're together, and anything else, we can figure out."

Bucky sighed and dropped his head against Steve's shoulder. "I hope you know what you're doing," he whispered, far too quiet for anyone else to hear. "Ok," he said, louder.

Steve gave in to impulse and pressed a kiss against the side of Bucky's head. He'd explain to Bucky as soon as he could, but for now, he thought everything was going to be okay.

!!!!!!!!!

Rumlow grinned as he entered the room. "I have news on Project Thaw," he announced once Pierce had signaled that it was safe to talk. "The Asset started breaking through his programming. No one was badly hurt this time. Rogers talked him down, and..."

"It's working, then," Pierce said.

Rumlow nodded. "Exactly as we hoped. Barnes was too unstable to last much longer, but with Rogers here, he'll be a loyal member of HYDRA before too much longer."

Pierce smiled. "Excellent, excellent. Perhaps everything will work out. What about our other plans?"

Rumlow shrugged. "Going well. Things should be ready in a few more months."

"And recruitment?"

Rumlow frowned. "Down, at the moment. Too many people are focused on missions. But there are a few people being sounded out. Maybe we'll have more in a while. Rollins has a couple of friends he's talking to, and I think there are a few others making plans. I think Rogers wants to bring in Romanov or Barton, but he hasn't said anything."

"We know they'd both be bad bets," Pierce said. "And Rogers... is more useful as a recruitment tool, not a recruiter. He might not recognize the right mindset."

Rumlow nodded. "If he asks, I'll just tell him we've got reasons not to recruit them."

Pierce nodded. "Thank you," he said quietly. "Now, I suppose I should continue my paperwork," he grumbled as he glanced at his desk.

Rumlow grinned. "It gets us all, sir," he said.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bucky paced as he watched Steve sketch. "I just..." Bucky started, then stopped.

Steve sighed and set his sketch pad down. He reached down and fiddled with something in his bag. "We've got a few moments," he said. "And I've got a lot I don't have time to tell you, but know this, Bucky. I'm going to destroy the people who've hurt you. I want your help, but if you don't want to, I have others who can help me."

Bucky slowly smiled. "Pierce and all of them?"

"All of HYDRA, if I can," Steve replied. "That's the only reason I joined them. I didn't even know about you. But HYDRA is evil. And I think SHIELD will have to go with it."

Bucky nodded. "You're probably right."

"I've let others know about this, but it'll take time. Can you pretend to be fine with this?"

Bucky nodded. "I can. I know a lot about HYDRA, I can help you take it down."

Steve's grin was feral. "Good," he said, just as something beeped. "Scrambler going off now, before we're noticed," he warned. He turned the device off and picked up his sketch pad again. "Can I draw you, Buck?" he asked. "I haven't had a chance since our last leave."

Bucky blinked, but smiled. "Sure thing, Stevie," he said.

Steve flipped to a new page in his book and eyed his friend. "Nothing too special, just a quick sketch. You know what to do."

Bucky did. He'd lost track of the number of times Steve had posed him, but this would be a simple thing. He sat down and tilted his head into a comfortable position. He had a lot to think about, Steve's sketch would give him some time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Bucky's breaking through, and now he knows that Steve is planning something. And HYDRA doesn't have a clue, though they have other plans. (Project Insight is one of them, but don't expect things to go exactly like they did in the movie.)
> 
> I hope you all had a good Christmas, if you celebrate it, and you will all have a wonderful 2015. Happy New Year!


	11. Chapter 11

Tony glanced at Pepper and Rhodey as Steve joined them. Steve had finally gotten proof that neither of them were HYDRA, and they were going to tell them everything. Steve said he had other news for Tony, news he wanted to give in person.

"So, Steve, what's this all about?" Pepper asked.

Steve smiled thinly. It wasn't a good look on him. "One thing first. Tony, I've got good news and bad news. Bad news is, you were right about Stane."

Tony had asked Steve to look into Obie a week ago, and hadn't heard back. 

Tony closed his eyes and nodded. "And he ordered my parents killed, right?"

Steve nodded. "I wasn't able to find much about that, but the operative that did it is dead."

"It wasn't..."

"No, it was too easy a job for him to do. But I can see why they might have anyway."

Tony sighed and sat back. "Thank you," he said. "Even if..."

Steve nodded. "Yeah," he said. 

"What are you two talking about?" Rhodey asked.

Steve swallowed. "I was approached by a group that has infiltrated a large portion of SHIELD, and from what I can tell, the US government, the Russian government, and several other countries as well. They're well on their way to controlling the world. I joined them, hoping to get more information, but I quickly learned that there were only a few people I can trust. I told the other Avengers all of this a couple of months ago, and asked them not to tell anyone else."

Rhodey nodded. Pepper sighed. "I hate spy stuff," she said. "And from what you're saying, Stane was a member?"

Steve nodded. "He was," he said. "There's all sorts of memos of what happened when you first became Iron Man, Tony. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snoop."

Tony waved his hands around, dismissing it. "It happens," he said. "I'm sure there's some impressive files on you, as well."

Steve grimaced. "Something like that," he said.

"Why haven't you gone to anyone else?" Rhodey asked.

"Because, sir, we don't know who to trust. It took me months to run down the information that the Avengers were safe to tell, and even more time for me to find your file, and Miss Pott's."

Pepper's eyes went wide. "You weren't sure about us?" she asked Tony.

"I was," Tony said. "But Steve's the one in real danger if it gets out. He wanted to wait for proof."

Rhodey nodded. "I get it," he said. "I wish you had told us, but I get it." He turned to Steve. "And, when we're just meeting like this, you don't have to call me sir."

Steve nodded. "Miss Potts, I'm sorry, but... paranoia seemed to be the better policy."

Pepper sighed. "I don't like it," she said. "But I do understand. You said you've found files that say we're not... this group?"

Steve nodded. "It's HYDRA," he said quietly.

Rhodey inhaled sharply. "No," he whispered. "The HYDRA you fought?"

"They try to say they're not, but they're still the same old group. They want to rule everything."

Pepper bit her lip. "What do we do?"

Steve smiled grimly. "That's where you two come in. We've got to plan, and we need excuses for all of us to get together. You, Miss Potts, should be able to set up some sort of charity thing we can all agree with, and we'll make plans as we can. It's not going to be easy."

Rhodey sighed. "Who all knows?"

Steve sighed. "You three, Clint, Natasha, and Bruce. I've got... there is someone on the inside that HYDRA has been brainwashing for decades. He's shaking off the brainwashing, but I can't be entirely sure it's safe, so he doesn't know about any of you. If HYDRA realizes what I'm doing, they won't know about you."

Tony rolled his eyes. "And we can plan more after dinner," he said. "You said there was some good news for me?"

Steve smiled. "Yeah, I do have some good news for you. Feel free to hate Senator Sterns all you want."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This part was written solely because some people wanted to know why Tony didn't trust Rhodey and Pepper. Mostly, because Steve was being careful. But now that they know, hopefully things will start picking up.
> 
> And I threw that Senator Sterns line just because I wanted to acknowledge Tony and the senator's rivalry.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A reminder that HYDRA had several ulterior reasons for recruiting Captain America. Mostly, that reminder is to _myself_

Bucky entered the conference room and sat down. Pierce was watching him carefully. "Sir," Bucky said. 

Pierce sighed. "I want you to be honest with me, Sergeant," he said. "What are you loyal to?"

Bucky frowned. "I'm loyal to Steve," he said, almost without thinking.

Pierce chuckled dryly. "I suppose I should have expected that," he said. "And HYDRA?"

Bucky leaned back, suddenly realizing what this was about. "As long as Steve is part of HYDRA, so am I," he proclaimed. "Steve told me this HYDRA is different, and..."

Pierce held up his hand. "And we have not wiped you since you woke up this time." Bucky held himself very still. "What is more, we don't plan to." Pierce said. He smiled slightly. From what Bucky could tell, it was a real smile. "And you and Captain Rogers have been given a gift," he said. "You can stay with each other now."

Bucky looked at him blankly. He was fairly sure he knew what Pierce was saying, but why would he be saying it?

Pierce sighed. "Winter Soldier," he said, sounding faintly exasperated. "As a reward for your long years of service, you have been given a chance with Captain Rogers. And there is more."

Bucky frowned, but stayed quiet.

Pierce sighed. "We are, all of us, mortal, Sergeant," he started. "But there is some evidence that you and Captain Rogers are not aging as men should. There is a very good chance that you two will outlive us all. Eventually, you will need to take control of HYDRA and continue our vision."

Despite his best efforts, Bucky's eyes widened. That was not even remotely what he'd expected.

"And Captain Rogers will be there, by your side," Pierce finished.

Bucky didn't say anything, but privately, he couldn't believe how blind Pierce was. There was no way Bucky could lead HYDRA. But perhaps HYDRA really believed everything was going well for them.

Bucky hoped they were wrong.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 

 

Steve saw the other man running in front of him. At this early time of day, there was hardly anyone out, but Steve had seen the other man several times in the last couple of weeks.

Today, however, he was going to at least say something. He'd probably end up lapping the man a couple of times, and there was something about him that reminded Steve of the men he knew in the 107th. So, as Steve approached, he called out "On your left."

Steve passed the man again, and again he called out a warning. This time, he heard the other man answer with "uh huh, on your left, got it."

Steve smiled as he went around. As he approached a third time, he could hear the man again. "Don't you say it. Don't you say it..."

"On your left."

"Come on!"

Steve had to work very hard not to laugh when he came to the end of his forth lap and the man was panting on the ground. He hadn't teased anyone but Bucky like that for a long, long time. "Need a medic?"

Steve grinned again when Sam Wilson introduced himself.

They traded teasing barbs until Natasha texted him to warn him about a mission.

Steve smiled to himself as they left. Sam seemed like a good guy. Maybe he would visit the VA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we have reached the Winter Soldier movie timeframe. Things are different, though just how different remains to be seen.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait, folks. I had some problems with writer's block (also finding time to write, but that's something completely different). Anyway, here's another bit for you.

Rumlow quickly and efficiently briefed the STRIKE team, Captain Rogers, and Agent Romanov as they flew to their destination. He was aware of the importance of this mission, though Rogers hadn't been read in to Project Insight (in either version) and Agent Romanov was just plain clueless about HYDRA.

So, when Rogers mused about why Sitwell was on the boat, Rumlow could only shrug, while Romanov tried to placate Rogers

For the most part, the mission went well, though Romanov went off script, and Rogers seemed particularly pissed on the way back. Rumlow could easily understand it. Rogers was a field commander, and any time a team member has another mission, he should know about it.

Agent Romanov looked apologetic, but she was firm when she told Rogers that Fury had given her the mission, and told her not to tell anyone.

The STRIKE team members had glanced at each other at that. Fury was one of the major targets for Insight, and it looked like he might be wising up to what SHIELD really was. They couldn't be sure, of course, but Rumlow would make sure Pierce knew about it.

Rogers looked like he was holding on to his temper by a thread. 

Rumlow tried very hard not to snicker as Rogers- for once- didn't stick around when the debriefing was done. Fury was about to get a visit from a very, very annoyed Captain America.

#################

Rumlow wasn't laughing when he found Rogers again in the off base area the Asset was staging out of. Barnes was watching Rogers as he took out his frustrations on one of the specially reinforced punching bags. Rogers looked even more angry then he’d been when the mission was done.

Rogers didn't react when Rumlow entered, but Barnes glanced at him and then returned to watching Rogers.

"Alright, Cap?" Rumlow asked as Rogers paused.

"Not really," Rogers said, his voice tight with anger. He started punching the bag again, harder this time.

"What happened?"

Rogers scowled even more. Each word of his reply was punctuated by a punch. "Fury. Showed. Me. Project. Insight!" At the last word, he hit the bag so hard, it flew off the hook and into the wall, bursting apart as it did so. Rogers took several deep breaths.

He turned to Rumlow, still looking furious. "What does HYDRA have planned for those carriers?" he asked. "Because I know the story Fury sold me- maybe he even believes it- isn't what's really going to happen."

Rumlow sighed. "I'm not sure," he lied, because he had to. "All I know is that we launch those carriers, and HYDRA moves into the light. No more hiding, no more pretending. So, whatever it is, it's going to be big."

Rogers snorted. "No doubt," he snarled. "Bucky?"

Barnes shrugged. "Nothing," he said. "I'm the Asset, the muscle, you know that."

Rogers closed his eyes and shook his head. "This is wrong, Buck," he said.

Barnes sighed. "Is it?" he asked.

Rogers sighed and made his way to the nearby chairs. Both of them seemed to have forgotten Rumlow was there, but he wasn't fooled. They were just ignoring him for the moment.

"That much power, that much ability to just... just kill someone... it's going to be misused, no matter who has it, Bucky," Rogers said.

Barnes sat next to him. "Someone would have come up with the idea, Steve, and you know it. What if it had been the Security Council? The ones who threw that nuke at New York?"

"Bucky, it was the Security Council," Steve said, still angry, but with a touch of amusement in his voice. "It's just, they're not going to keep control of the carriers."

"Ok, point," Barnes said. "But, Steve... "

"I'm fairly certain that no matter what happens, a lot of people are going to die, Buck."

Rumlow barely avoided narrowing his eyes. Sometimes, he just didn't understand Rogers. The man had been willing to join them, had even gone on a few of the more... clandestine types of missions, but he had those odd hang-ups. Rumlow wasn't even sure what, aside from the hypothetical deaths, Rogers was upset about. He didn't even know that the deaths were actually going to happen.

Rumlow would have to tell Pierce. Hopefully, they'd be able to keep the true nature of Insight away from Rogers until it was too late.

At that moment, just as Rumlow started paying attention to the other two again, Pierce walked in.

All three of the men in the room turned to look at him. Pierce glanced around, pausing for a second at the broken bag on the floor for a second. "Soldier," he said. "There's a job for you," he said. "And Captain, I think we'll need to put that contingency plan we discussed into place."

"You know I'm not good at lying," Rogers sighed, but he got up and headed for the broken bag. Barnes got up as well and headed back toward where Rumlow knew his gear was stored.

Rogers picked up the busted punching bag, and after taking it over to the "broken equipment" area- Barnes was rough on a lot of exercise equipment, and Rogers wasn't much better- started sweeping up the sand that had fallen out.

Pierce watched him for a moment before glancing at Rumlow. "Thoughts?" 

Rumlow sighed. "Not here," he said. He'd talk to Pierce after Rogers was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now… what could Bucky’s mission possibly be? And, for that matter, Steve’s?


	14. Chapter 14

Pierce waited until he'd sent both the Asset and Captain America away. "What happened, Rumlow?" he asked.

"Fury told Cap about Insight," Rumlow said. "Cap only knows the story Fury believes, nothing else. He's still pissed about it."

Pierce nodded. "He is, despite everything, still Steve Rogers. Is it going to be a problem?"

"I don't think so, at least, not with Barnes here."

"And what about the experiment with Barnes?"

Rumlow shrugged. "I'm not a scientist, so I can't really tell you a whole hell of a lot about what's going on with him, but he's been out of cryofreeze for months now, and hasn't had a wipe in as long. But there's only been that one incident, and Cap was right there, and able to calm him down."

Pierce nodded. He knew that, of course. They'd been lucky. He still wasn't sure how they'd avoided revealing just how little choice Barnes had had to Rogers, though Pierce rather thought that Rogers suspected more than he let on.

"But do you think they'll stay loyal?"

Rumlow shrugged. "I think so, but..." he scowled. "Rogers is still too much of a bleeding heart to like what will happen. Barnes has never been truly loyal to us, but he is loyal to Rogers. And Rogers would do anything for Barnes. As long as we keep Rogers, we keep Barnes. And as long as we keep Barnes, we keep Rogers."

Pierce nodded. "So, not much has changed, in other words."

Rumlow nodded. "But it may," he said. "Rogers is a good man, and a good fighter. But he might think that Insight goes too far. If he does, and he exposes us to the world before we're ready..."

Pierce smiled. "He won't," he revealed. "He's going to be too busy. Plus, be ready to have to deal with him as an opponent."

Rumlow looked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Our contingency plan," Pierce said. "Rogers is going to pretend to know nothing about HYDRA. Any SHIELD agents who discover us will go to him. With lucky, he'll keep them from doing too much damage."

Rumlow’s jaw dropped.

@@@@@@

Steve sighed as he stared at the door to his apartment. He’d had a long, not altogether happy day. He was worried, too. Pierce was up to something, something he probably didn’t want Steve to know.

And now, there was something happening in his apartment. Steve nodded to himself and headed for the fire escape.

As he approached his room, he started wondering what exactly he’d find in his apartment. Enemies, allies? He couldn’t be sure. Once he was in, he picked up his shield and headed for the living room.

Only to find the very injured Nick Fury.

Steve bit his lip as Nick lied to him out loud and told him the truth in writing. The truth that Steve already knew, but how had Nick found out? Of course, that had to be was why he was injured.

And then… shots.

Things got crazy for a while, before Steve found himself chasing after Bucky. Even as he ran, Steve began mentally yelling every curse word he’d ever learned. Pierce had been right, SHIELD agents would go to him if they discovered something was wrong. Steve had just never expected…

Steve jumped out of the window and onto the roof Bucky was running on. He had to make this look good, so he threw the shield with all his strength. Bucky, of course, caught it, and then sent it right back. By the time Steve caught it, Bucky had disappeared. 

Steve sighed and turned back toward his apartment. Now to make sure Nick didn’t die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Steve has to deal with everything happening and the balancing act that all really good spies have to do.
> 
> Yes, there doesn't seem to be much changed for the movie, but just wait until next chapter. I've got that planned out (and hopefully, it won't take long to write) and you'll see the big differences there. (Don't worry. Sam is still going to be in this story. Sam is awesome and must always be included.)


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm really, really sorry it took so long to get this part to you. Secondly, a couple of people have asked me to write something about Steve pretending to be a HYDRA agent, and someone actually believing he was. I might do something as an outtake when this story is done- in fact, I most likely will do an outtake, since I really like the idea- but this chapter is, I think, the closest this story will come to that. I can't figure out where I would put it in the story proper. Enjoy the chapter!

Of course Nick died, and everything went to hell in the proverbial hand basket.

A little over a day after Nick died, Steve knocked on a door, hoping both that Sam was home and that he wasn’t.

Sam was at home. “Hey man,” Sam said.

“I’m sorry about this. We need a place to lay low,” Steve said.

“Everyone we know is trying to kill us,” Natasha said.

Sam was a lifesaver, almost literally. He didn’t even hesitate to let them in. “Not everyone,” he said quietly.

An hour later, Steve and Natasha were clean and full, finishing up the breakfast that Sam had made. Steve liked Sam, which is probably why he had relaxed, and Natasha was still technically recovering from getting hit on the head when that missile hit the old bunker, so that was why she wasn’t as sharp as usual.

Or maybe Steve was just tired of all the deceptions, and he let his guard down, and Natasha followed his lead.

“We need to get word to Tony, Bruce and Clint,” Steve said. “Insight has to be stopped, and I’ll bet Tony can do it.”

Natasha nodded. “HYDRA’s making its move, isn’t it?”

Steve nodded. “Why else would Pierce be willing to destroy Zola?” he asked. “And me, for that matter. If it got rid of an enemy, he’d take the casualties. It doesn’t matter if he thinks I’m on his side, and I’m one of the greatest recruitment tools he has. Of course, if I died, he’d probably proclaim me a martyr to the cause or something like that.”

Sam glanced at them sharply, but didn’t say anything. 

“Steve…” Natasha said.

Steve huffed. “It’s not a surprise, Nat,” he said. “Pierce would do anything to make sure HYDRA wins. Most members of HYDRA would. Why do you think they took that risk on me? If I’d said no, I’d be dead, or worse, they’d do to me what they did to Bucky.”

Natasha sighed. “So… now we need to find out what the algorithm is.”

“Sitwell will know,” Steve said. “He was in charge of the Lemurian Star.”

Behind Natasha, Sam had turned and was fiddling with a stack of papers. 

“So, the question is how do the two most wanted people in Washington kidnap a SHIELD officer in broad daylight? My status as a HYDRA undercover agent notwithstanding.”

“The answer is: you don’t,” Sam said as he dropped a file in front of Steve.

“What’s this?”

“Call it a resume,” Sam said.

Steve and Natasha paged through the file, and the second file Sam handed them.

Steve sighed. “I can’t ask you to do this, Sam,” Steve said. “You got out for a good reason.”

“Dude, Captain America needs my help. There’s no better reason to get back in.”

Steve looked down. “How do we get our hands on one of these things?”

“The last one is at Fort Meade, behind three guarded gates and a twelve inch steel wall.”

Steve glanced at Natasha, who shrugged.

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” Steve said.

Sam nodded. “Good, now can you explain to me what you mean by HYDRA undercover agent?”

Steve sighed. “We goofed, didn’t we?” he asked Natasha.

Natasha nodded ruefully. “We fucked up,” she corrected.

Steve nodded. “Alright. You might want to sit down, Sam. It’s a bit of a long story.”

“I’ve got nothing to do today,” Sam replied. He looked grim as he sat down. “And I’m good at listening.”

Steve sighed. “This is going to put your life in danger, and I’m sorry,” he started.

@@@@@@@@@@@@

Tony turned to look at Bruce and Pepper as Natasha hung up. “Plan B,” he said. “HYDRA is moving soon. Maybe even tomorrow morning.”

Pepper nodded. Bruce sighed. “They need us?”

“Barton’s on his way to D.C. right now, and Romanov wants us there too. There’s some weapon of SHIELD’s that HYDRA is about to repurpose, and we need to stop the launch.”

Tony turned to Pepper. “I know you can help, Pep, but we need you to stand by and get ready to wage a PR war. We might not be able to stop HYDRA completely, so we’ll need to let the world know what they are.”

“I’m better at that sort of thing anyway,” Pepper said. “JARVIS and I can start organizing the data into the sort of thing most people can understand.”

Tony nodded. “And… could you please head to the safe house in Montana?” he asked. “Natasha said that this weapon can target people anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard. Even in the tower.”

Pepper sighed. “JARVIS, link up to the safe house, and let’s go.”

“Already done,” JARVIS said. “Sir, should I set some failsafes to release the data if things go wrong?”

“Good idea, JARVIS,” Tony said. “Come on, Bruce. Steve and Natasha have some help in DC, but they’ll need us.”

Bruce nodded. “Let’s go,” he said grimly. “And give HYDRA a big surprise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even going to try to guess when I'll be able to post the next chapter. It's half written already, though.


	16. Chapter 16

Sitwell climbed into the passenger seat of the car, as his kidnapper got into the driver’s seat. “Why are you doing this?” Sitwell asked. “You have to know I’m an agent of SHIELD, and SHIELD never negotiates.”

“You’re also a member of HYDRA,” the man said. “And I’m not interested in negotiating.”

Sitwell blinked. “Where are you getting your information?” he asked.

The man smirked. “Same place I got the information on how to find you,” he said. “Oh, we’re still being watched, if you try anything, my associates won’t hesitate to kill you.” He made a quick right turn. “I think they would love to just kill you, honestly. Now shut up and let me drive.”

Sitwell sighed and waited. HYDRA would find him soon enough. The other man took another left, and stopped just outside a fairly tall building. “Out,” he ordered.

Sitwell got out, and briefly considered running, before the red dot reappeared on his tie. The other man parked, opened the trunk of his car, and pulled out what looked like some sort of metal backpack. “Into the building, Sitwell,” the man said. He shrugged the backpack on as he watched Sitwell. “You’ll get your questions there.”

“Shouldn’t that be my answers?” Sitwell asked.

“You’ll be the one answering the questions,” the man said with a smirk. “Go on, get in there.”

Reluctantly, Sitwell entered the building. He couldn’t even begin to guess who was waiting for him. 

Someone grabbed him from behind and pushed him into the nearby elevator. He was held securely as another person- a smaller woman from the look of her hand- pushed the button to the top floor. He tried to twist his head to look at his captors, but the man holding him prevented it. “Don’t try to move,” the man whispered harshly, hiding his voice.

He was hustled out of the elevator and up a flight of stairs. As he was pushed out a door onto a roof, he saw his captors. Rogers and Romanov. 

What was Rogers doing? He was HYDRA, he shouldn’t be helping the people trying to bring HYDRA down.

Right?

“What are you doing, Rogers?” he asked as he managed to get up. “This is…”

“What is Zola’s algorithm?” Rogers interrupted. “What is Insight going to do?”

“How do…”

Romanov smirked. “How do you think?”

Rogers crowded him close to the edge of the roof. “You won’t do it,” Sitwell said. “We’ve worked together, and throwing people off the roof isn’t your style.”

Rogers nodded. “You’re right,” he said as he pulled Sitwell upright. “It’s hers.”

Romanov kicked and Sitwell flipped over the edge. He had just started to scream when he felt something grab the back of his coat and he was jerked up. 

Whatever was holding him rocketed up and he was tossed back onto the roof. Rogers and Romanov stalked toward him as he managed to get to his hands and knees. His kidnapper folded a metal set of wings and turned back to face them.

Sitwell broke and began to talk.

#########

Steve sighed as he was pushed into one van, while Natasha and Sam were put in another.

Sam. Steve was furious with himself, Natasha, SHIELD, and HYDRA. He should never had dragged Sam into this. If only Steve had thought of somewhere else to go after Zola. If only Steve and Natasha hadn’t let their guard down and discussed what they knew about HYDRA around Sam. 

And that was something else to be angry about, Steve knew. But he couldn’t… Rumlow climbed into the back of the van with him, and Steve knew this was about to be an informal debriefing. Already, Bucky was waiting for him.

“Aright, Steve?” Bucky asked after the doors closed and they started moving. 

“No,” Steve said baldly.

Rumlow laughed. “The guy with the wings?”

“Sam,” Steve said. “He’s a good man, when Nat and I went off the grid, I went to his place. I was just looking for a place to sleep for a bit, but he insisted on helping us. I signed his death warrant.”

Rumlow shrugged. “Maybe not,” he said. “Did he help because it was against HYDRA, or because it was you, Captain America?”

Steve scowled. “I don’t know. Me? Both? I don’t know,” he repeated. “Maybe because of all the Captain America against HYDRA stories?”

Bucky sighed. “It’s done, Steve,” he said. “He and your other friend will be kept locked up until this is over with.”

“And I know where there’s a bridge for sale if you believe that,” Steve retorted. “Sam… maybe. But not Nat. Right, Rumlow?”

Rumlow looked regretful. “I’m sorry, Cap,” he said. “She’s too loyal to Fury and SHIELD.”

Steve sighed. “I thought so,” he said. “So… now what?”

Bucky shrugged. “Pierce has something planned,” he said. There was a bump. “We here already?” Steve asked. 

“We’re at one of the bases,” Rumlow confirmed. “Let’s go. And remember that you’re a prisoner.”

Steve rolled his eyes, but obediently let them put the cuffs on. These were ones that looked like they were reinforced to deal with his strength, but really weren’t.

He was led out first, so he had a firsthand view as they opened the other van.

The empty except for the unconscious form of one of the guards van.

Somehow, Steve kept from laughing. Sam and Nat were out there, with some other ally. Perfect.

There was still a chance they could do it. Nat would contact the rest of the people in the know, and they’d be able to come up with something.

Steve glanced at Bucky. He just had to be ready to play his part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, you’ll like the changes I made in the next part. Things will be different without Steve at the hideout. The Insight battle isn’t going to be like the movie.
> 
> Also, I've started another story, basically detailing all the reactions that various HYDRA, and eventually non-HYDRA, people will have to Steve, and the fact that he is a member of HYDRA. That means that this story is now a series, and the link to the outtakes is right below. I have enough ideas for one or two more chapters of it, but I am up for requests.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here we go...

Sam eyed the man easing himself down into a seat. In his experience, no one that injured should be planning anything, but it didn’t look like Fury had a choice.

“Why weren’t we able to get Rogers out?” Nick Fury asked Hill.

“He was put in a separate van. I don’t know… I decided that HYDRA was likely to want him alive, if only to gloat about things, and got in the other van.”

“Steve will be fine,” Natasha said. Yeah, Sam knew that. Sam was still a little stunned by the idea of Steve Rogers as a supposed HYDRA agent. Steve had shared a lot with him on the trip to and from Fort Meade, almost too much for Sam to take in.

It was enough, however, for Sam to want to tear down all of HYDRA with his bare hands.

“We don’t know that,” Fury said. “They could decide to just kill him.”

Natasha smiled slightly. “Steve is going to be fine,” she repeated. “He’s…” she paused, took a deep breath, and started again. “Nick. Steve and I knew about HYDRA. So did Clint, and Stark, and Banner. We’ve been trying to come up with something to root them out, but we’ve run out of time.”

Fury looked thunderstruck. “How?”

Natasha smirked. “Alexander Pierce and Brock Rumlow recruited Steve nearly a year ago. He got proof and showed it to us a few months later.”

Hill dropped the cup she had picked up. “Captain Rogers is…”

“He’s our inside man, our spy,” Natasha said. 

Fury was gaping at Natasha. “They recruited Captain America?” he asked. “And Captain Rogers actually agreed?”

Natasha looked rather like the cat that had gotten both the canary and the cream. “He agreed so he could find out how to destroy them. They think he’s theirs, Nick. They have no idea he’s not.”

Sam glanced at Fury and did his best to hide his snickers. It wasn’t like Sam had known that much longer than Fury, after all.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Nick wasn’t quite sure what to think.

How the Hell had Captain Rogers managed to hide HYDRA from everyone for nearly a year? He wasn’t aware he was speaking out loud until the other man- Wilson- smirked and Natasha nodded.

“Steve’s a lot more complicated than anyone guessed. He can’t lie for anything when it’s the small stuff, or stuff he genuinely does want you to know, but when it’s something big? He’s a pro, and we always forget it,” Natasha said.

“And he and you never told me?”

Natasha sighed. “We didn’t know how you’d react, Nick. Just like you didn’t know who to trust when it came to your survival. But now we’re here, and I really hope you have a plan, because we don’t know how to stop those helicarriers.”

Nick nodded. “We have a plan,” he said. “If you or Rogers can add anything to it, I’d love to know.”

Natasha smiled, looking a bit like a shark. “The Avengers,” she said. “At least, the human members. We still haven’t gotten in touch with Thor about this. But Banner is getting our backup plan ready- he and Colonel Rhodess are staying out of the fight, so there’s at least a couple of people who know if this fails, and Stark and Clint should be in DC by now. I think Ms. Pottss is going to ground as well, just to be on the safe side. She’s the one who’s best able to fight this in the court of public opinion, so she’s agreed to stay out of the physical fight.”

Slowly, Nick grinned. This was better than he hoped. “Then let’s get to planning,” he said. “And can you find a way to tell Stark and Barton where to find us?”

Natasha nodded. “I’ve got a way,” she said.

@@@@@@@@@@@

Clint rolled his shoulders back as he entered the Triskelion. It was technically his day off, but he wasn’t the only off duty agent here today. Most of SHIELD knew something big was up, even if they didn’t know precisely what.

He wasn’t looked at twice, even though he’d brought his weapons with him. Clint nodded and got into position. He nodded at Tony as Iron Man landed next to him. “We ready?” he asked.

“Deputy Hill and Wilson are just about in position, the WSC is meeting with Pierce, and the helicopter is circling. Hopefully, Cap’s ready, even if he doesn’t know the plan.” Tony answered. “It’s almost go time.”

Clint smiled grimly. “Stark,” he said. “If something goes wrong… well…”

“We’ll make it out, Barton,” Tony said. “All of us. We’ll have a party after, how about?”

Clint nodded. “But just in case, there’s an address I left with JARVIS. Make sure… just watch out for them, please?”

Tony nodded, eyes dark. “Family?”

Clint nodded. “They know what I do. But SHIELD doesn’t know about them.”

“I’ll keep it that way,” Tony promised.

Clint smiled. “Thanks,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the most part, AOU will not be a part of this universe, but I liked Clint’s family, so they stay in. And the next part will hopefully be up soon, because it’s nearly done, and I hope I’ll have time to finish it up in the next week.
> 
> Currently, its mostly a matter of watching one scene again and checking the lines. Unfortunately my blue ray player broke, so it might be a bit. OTOH, payday was this week…


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, folks. Here's where things start taking a detour. Some of it is the same, some of it isn't.

Steve glanced at Bucky as they waited. There were less than three hours before the Insight Helicarriers would launch, and Steve was worried that the rest of the people who knew about HYDRA wouldn’t make it in time. Bucky was looking out the window of the conference room they and several members of Steve’s STRIKE team were waiting in.

Steve was in his dark blue stealth suit, Bucky was wearing his own tac gear, and most of the STRIKE team were in their everyday work outfits.

“Hey, Cap, what’s wrong?” Rollins asked.

Steve rolled his eyes as he fiddled with his helmet. “Just… everything,” he said.

Rollins laughed. “Makes sense,” he said. “Well, it’s almost done with.”

Bucky shifted, sliding one of his handguns out of the holster and checking it over in a manner Steve remembered from the war. “And not a moment too soon,” he said.

Steve nodded. “I just…”

“You just don’t like Project Insight,” Rollins said. He shook his head and smiled. “Don’t worry, Cap, it’s not going to be like what you think.”

“I hope so,” he said. “I really hope so.”

The intercom crackled. Steve turned to look at it, aware that so was the rest of the room.

“Attention Agents of SHIELD. This is Deputy Director Maria Hill. This has been a trying time for our agency, and I am forced today to bring you more bad news.”

Steve’s eyes widened.

Hill continued. “SHIELD has been infiltrated by a group dedicated to bringing down all we have worked for. They have taken over Project Insight and plan to use it to kill untold millions of people. They shot Nick Fury. This group is all we are trying to stop. I and a small team are going to do our best to stop them. I ask that all true SHIELD agents do everything they can to stop the enemy agents from winning. Don’t let them get the Insight Helicarriers into the air. We will stop them, even at great cost. Godspeed, Agents. Hill out.”

The breath punched out of Steve’s chest and he closed his eyes. Thank God, they had gotten here in time.

“Shit,” Rollins said.

Steve opened his eyes and took a deep breath. “Alright, damage control,” he said. He glanced up at Bucky. “Bucky and I will head for the Helicarriers. If Hill and her team are planning something, we’re probably the best ones to stop it. STRIKE, split up. Half of you rendezvous with Rumlow, head for the Watch Floor. The rest, head up to the council room.”

“We need to make sure the SHIELD agents don’t believe her,” Rollins said.

Steve shook his head. “There’s no time. They’ll believe her, or they won’t. Let’s just do what we can.” And, honestly, it was better if they didn’t give the SHIELD agents an alternative. He did wonder why she hadn’t named HYDRA, though.

Rollins nodded.

Bucky stood up and put his mask on. Steve got up as well and made sure his helmet was secure. “Let’s go, Bucky,” he said.

The group headed out. Half the team split at the first hallway, headed up, while Bucky and Steve left a hallway later. 

“What’s the real plan?” Bucky asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

Steve grinned. “Do everything you can to take down any resistance Hill’s team is facing,” he said quietly. “And I’ll be right by your side.”

Bucky’s eyes lit up, and Steve knew he was grinning behind his mask. “Finally.”

“Time to pay them back,” Steve agreed.

#############

Rumlow stared at the intercom in shock. They had been so close, how had Hill found out…

Rumlow rushed toward the watch floor. He had to get those helicarriers in the air. On the way, he was met with half of his STRIKE team.

“We’ve got the Asset and the Captain heading toward the helicarriers,” one of them reported. “The rest of the team is headed for the council right now.”

Rumlow nodded and entered the watch floor.

“Preempt the launch sequence,” Rumlow snarled at the lead technician. “Send those ships up now.”  
The man glanced back at him, then turned back to his computer. “Is there a problem?”

“I…” the man glanced at everyone watching him.

“Is there a problem!?”

“Sorry…” the man swallowed, and took a deep breath. “I’m not going to launch those ships.” He took another deep breath.

The man shook, clearly terrified, as Rumlow pulled out a gun and held it to the back of his head. “Move away from your station.”

Agent Carter moved up and held a gun to Rumlow’s head. “No,” she said. “We won’t let terrorists take control of the ships.”

Rumlow sighed as everyone started reacting and battle lines started to form. “You picked the wrong side, Agent.”

“Depends on where you’re standing.”

Rumlow sighed and dropped his gun. The technician jumped at the sound it made. Before anything else could happen, Rumlow turned and used his knife to slash at Carter’s arm. 

Rumlow snarled as the firefight erupted around him. Carter managed to kick the technician’s chair so he was out of the line of fire, and Rumlow took that moment to override the launch sequence.

He took off as Carter came up with a gun and started shooting at him. Time to create chaos, give the Insight crew enough time to get the ‘carriers up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heh. And HYDRA still thinks Steve is working for them. For now. Anyway, next part… sometime. This part is going to take some doing, because I'm _really bad_ at action scenes.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long delay, folks. I had some writer's block to work through.

Just as the helicarriers started to rise out of their bays, one man burst out of the Triskelion. No one noticed, because everyone was too stunned by either the revelation of what SHIELD was, or by the fact that the revelation was made.

But Iron Man soaring over the crowd toward one of the helicarriers was noticed. A second later, the man who ran out of the building spread what looked like metal wings and soared up to another helicarrier. And then Captain America slammed through another door, followed by someone in black, with what looked like armor on his left arm.

“Iron Man,” the man said.

“And Sam,” Captain America agreed. They both started running toward the helicarriers. “We need to get up there!” he shouted at his companion.

And suddenly, the shock wore off for the majority of the SHIELD agents. If Captain America was here, then it must be real.

Agents turned to each other, and very quickly, lines were drawn between those determined to see the helicarriers in the air, and those who would stop at nothing to ground them.

SHIELD had just begun a civil war.

###############

Pierce scowled at nothing in particular. How the hell Hill had gotten the information, he didn’t know. Perhaps she was the one who had saved Romanov and Wilson.

The rest of the World Security Council didn’t seem to know how to react to Hill’s statement. All of them were staring up at the ceiling, then at the countdown.

“She could be lying,” Pierce said, trying hard to stay calm. Stay calm, stay calm. Don’t let them know the truth.

“It’s better to be safe,” Councilman Singh said. “We should pause the countdown until we know for sure.”

Stay calm, stay calm. Suddenly, the counter flipped from two hours to zero. Someone had managed to override the countdown. Good. It would be just a few minutes more, and then he wouldn’t have to worry about the council and what they would think.

Several members of the STRIKE team entered the room. “Sir,” one of them said. 

Pierce took a deep breath. “Report,” he said. It didn’t matter what the council members did now. He had numbers on his side.

“Half the team went with Rumlow to get the ships up. The Asset and…” the man paused and glanced at the council. “…His friend went to deal with whoever would be going after the helicarriers. Reports have Stark and Wilson on the scene, with unconfirmed reports of Barton. No sign of Romanov yet, but she was injured yesterday.”

“She called them in,” Pierce said. “What of… the Asset’s friend.”

“Oh, he looked pissed about the helicarriers, but you know how he is,” the man reported.

“I do indeed,” Pierce said. He turned and picked up one of the glasses of champagne. Time to recruit a few people, if he could.

################

Clint took a moment to wish he was one of the people with a helicarrier targeting blade, but it had made more sense to give them to the two team members who could fly. Instead, he took a moment to figure out who was HYDRA down in the suddenly developing firefight down below and started to shoot.

He wasn’t going to use any trick arrows today, because he couldn’t be sure if all the people near one of his targets were bad guys or not. 

And it didn’t help trying to figure out who was who when absolutely no one would go after Steve, thanks to Steve’s spying.

So Clint kept track of who was trying to shut down the equipment, who was firing on them, who was firing on them, and who Steve had managed to conclusively finger has HYDRA. 

It was the best he could do when everyone was wearing the same uniform.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Tony didn’t hesitate. He knew his suit could handle anything the helicarriers could throw at him so he rushed to the targeting computer and blew a hole in the side of the ship to get to it. He landed and pulled out one of the targeting blades. He and Wilson both had three, just in case. Life had taught him that double redundancy was sometimes not enough, but three extra were all he’d had time to make last night.

He inserted the chip and smiled. “Alpha lock,” he announced. “Wilson, what’s taking you so long?”

Wilson snarled in answer. “Unlike you, I have to dodge,” he retorted. He was quiet for a moment, then “Bravo lock.”

“One more to go, guys,” Hill said. “I think Captain Rogers and someone else are on that one.”

“Noted,” Wilson said. “Is the other guy in black?”

“I think so, but so is almost everyone else,” Hill said. She was silent for a moment, and Tony thought he heard the sound of a pistol firing.

“We need to hurry, guys,” Hill finally came back with. “They’re at 2,000 feet and climbing.”

“Got it,” Tony replied. “Race you there, Wilson?” he asked as he took off and headed for the third helicarrier.

He noticed Wilson leaving the second. “No,” Wilson said. “You’re in the Iron Man suit, I’d lose.”

“Aw, where’s your sense of fun?” Tony asked. They landed on the deck of the helicarrier, Wilson only a few seconds after him. The deck seemed calm, but Tony didn’t trust it. A second later, Wilson nearly stumbled over what turned out to be a dead body.

“Uh… we didn’t have anyone up here, right?” Wilson asked.

“I don’t think so,” Tony said. “Unless Cap did this.”

“Not that one,” a third person said as he jumped down between them. “I killed that one,” he added. “He was about to shoot Steve in the back.”

Wilson took a step back. The third person, who wearing all black with a metal arm and a mask, nodded. “Sorry about your car, I had to make it all look good for HYDRA,” he said. “Steve says you’re a good man to have in a fight.”

“Barnes?” Tony asked.

The man nodded. “Come on, Steve’s toward the back. Where are we headed?”

“Targeting computer,” Wilson said after a moment.

Barnes nodded. He lifted his right hand and made a quick signal. A second later, Steve appeared near the back of the ship, just as Barnes had said. He held up his hand for silence. “No, there’s no sign of Stark or Wilson yet,” he said as he held up his arm, staring straight at them. “There’s a lot of bodies on the ‘carrier deck, though. Do we know what they did to the other carriers?” He listened for a moment before smirking. “Roger that,” he said. “Keep me updated, but Soldier and I are going silent in case we need to sneak up on them.” He pressed a spot on his uniform and nodded. Barnes did the same. “What are you doing to the carriers, anyway?” he asked.

“Tell you on the way,” Tony replied. “We’ve got to get them neutralized before they reach 3,000 feet.”

Barnes glanced at him. “You know?”

“About Steve? Yes,” Tony said.

“Sorry, Buck,” Steve sighed.

Barnes shrugged. “No, it makes sense, Steve. I’m still a risk,” he said. “Now, come on. We’re almost out of time.”

The four of them ran for the belly of the ship. 

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Maria Hill smiled as Wilson announced to the team. “Charlie Lock!”

“Everyone off the helicarriers!” she announced.

She took a deep breath as the helicarriers reached 3,000 feet.

“Iron Man, clear,” Stark said. 

“Falcon, clear,” Wilson said. “Rogers and his friend are making their own way off.”

Maria nodded. “Firing, now,” she said as she pressed the big button the interface had given her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, hopefully, we’ll go back to see what’s going on with the WSC and Pierce, and see what happens to Rumlow. And we’ll also see what other changes are made to the team’s endgame. 
> 
> I do hope you all are still enjoying this story.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I now know how much is left to tell- and honestly, the answer is not much, at least for this story. 
> 
> And... here we go. The WSC and Pierce.

Pierce eyed the councilman as he threw the glass of champagne on the floor. Unfortunately, he wasn’t incredibly surprised. The members of the Council might be willing to go along with him when Project Insight was supposed to protect people, but if it was being used to take over the world, they’d go against it.

He sighed and one of the STRIKE members handed him a pistol. He was disappointed. He liked the man, to be honest. He turned back to the man, already flipping the safety off.

And in that moment, Councilwoman Haley moved. She took out the half squad of STRIKE in seconds, and before he could act, she had a gun pointed at him.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she reached up and…

Turned off one of the new Nano Veils. “Did I cheapen your moment?” Natasha Romanov said as she pulled the mask and a wig off.

Pierce barely resisted clinching his fists. “I knew I should have just killed you,” she said.

Romanov smirked and jerked her head to the side. “Too late,” she replied. “Far too late.” Her eyes glittered. “I’ve known about you- we’ve known about you for months.”

Pierce frowned. “We who?” he asked. 

She smiled mysteriously. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” A helicopter approached and landed on the pad just outside. From this angle, he couldn’t see who climbed out of it, but the person entered the building a second later. He sighed and nodded to himself.

“Hello, Nick,” he said.

Fury didn’t respond.

“You know, there was a time you would have taken a bullet for me,” Pierce added.

“I thought I already did,” Fury said. “After all, you ordered the Winter Soldier to kill me, did you not?”

Pierce sighed. “You were getting too close, Nick,” he replied. “We had to get the Helicarriers up.”

Fury shook his head. “No, they should never have been created,” he said. “Cap- who you still have in custody- figured it out. And he didn’t like them even before he knew what you planned to do with them.”

Pierce frowned. “He knows?” he asked.

“We figured it out together,” Romanov pointed out. “Zola was the one who told us.”

Pierce sighed. “Zola was a heavy loss,” he said.

Romanov smiled briefly. 

Pierce rallied. “So, Nick, what are your plans?”

Fury turned to look out the windows, just as the helicarriers started firing- on each other. Explosions began to bloom on their surfaces.

Fury simply tilted his head. “Councilmen, with your permission, I plan to take Secretary Pierce into custody. I’ve been informed that most world leaders are on his list of targets.”

Councilman Yen nodded. “Do what you must, Director Fury,” he said.

Pierce scowled. “You do know the saying, Fury, don’t you?” He had lost, but there was still hope for HYDRA. He knew who the two new heads would be. “Cut off one head…”

“Two more shall take its place,” Fury finished. “I’ve heard that before. Like Colonel Philips, my answer is simple. ‘Let’s go find two more.’”

Pierce grinned. “The two who replace me won’t be found so easily. And if you do find them, they won’t be easy to stop.”

Romanov smirked but didn’t say anything. 

For some reason, Pierce felt a shiver roll down his spine. No. Captain America and the Winter Soldier would be the ones to lead HYDRA to its ultimate victory, not him. He was just sorry that he wouldn’t be there to see it. “You’re going to lose eventually. Our new heads will insure it.”

Romanov’s smirk widened. “Your new heads hate HYDRA, and always have,” she said. “Steve will destroy HYDRA from the inside. And his friend James will help.”

No. It… it wasn’t possible. No.

As soon as he realized what she meant, Pierce lunged for Romanov. Three gunshots went off, and he fell in pain. He barely managed to turn over, to watch the helicarriers as they burned. He could just hear the councilmen, Fury, and Romanov as they left the room. “Hail Hydra,” he whispered before everything faded away.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I think Pierce died too easily, but this was what the story demanded. I’m just glad that he learned, at the end, that Steve had played him, and how badly HYDRA was going to lose. But… well. That’s the way the story needed to be. Similar to, but different from, the movie. And without Steve there to insist on the “salt the Earth” strategy, they don’t release the files.
> 
> Sorry for (a) the long wait and (b) the short offering. Life has been… interesting lately. Luckily, I've got almost everything plotted to the end, and we're almost done.


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm glad everyone liked Pierce's death, and how he learned he'd lost before he had a chance of winning. Secondly, this is the last "regular" chapter. Next chapter will be an epilogue taking place several months later. But for now, enjoy the last of the fallout of the Insight mission.
> 
> And here we go…

Rumlow made his way through the building, fighting off the SHIELD agents who just wouldn’t get with the freaking program. Reports were not good- no one knew what Stark and the guy with the wing suit were doing, plus Barton kept moving locations and snipeing people. Somehow, he’d only hit HYDRA agents.

Rogers and Barnes had reported that they’d been unable to get to Helicarriers One or Two, and that they’d arrived on Three in time to see the two fliers leave.

Rumlow was in a windowless hallway when the comm system lit up. “The Helicarriers are firing on each other!” Barnes reported. Rumlow could hear gunfire in the background. “Fuck! Steve, jump!” 

“Buck, look out!”

People started talking, overlapping each other. Finally, Rumlow took out his earpiece, put it next to the microphone, and allowed the feedback to build up for a second. “Now,” he said as he put the earpiece back in. “Someone report.”

“The helicarriers have started firing on each other,” a woman- Rumlow thought it was Smith in communications- said. “There’s no sign of Captain… wait.”

“Two people have just jumped off Helicarrier Three into the river,” A man said. Rumlow didn’t recognize the voice. “One is the Asset. The other is Captain Rogers.”

“Helicarrier One is crashing back into the hanger, Two and Three are still firing.”

“Evacuate the building.” Rumlow ordered. “Has anyone heard from Secretary Pierce?”

“Nothing yet,” Smith reported. “There are reports that… fucking hell.”

Rumlow waited for a second. “REPORT!” he ordered, even as he headed down the stairs. “And get moving, talk on the way out.”

“Fury, Romanov, and the three Councilmen just walked out of the Council room,” Smith said.

“Fury?” Captain Rogers came on the line to say. “He’s alive?”

“How the Hell did he survive those shots?” Barnes added. “We’re off the helicarrier, but it looks like one is about to crash into the building.” he added.

“Everyone out,” Rogers added. “If Fury is alive, with everything Romanov knows, it’s likely that Pierce is dead.”

There wasn’t anything else to be said as everyone rushed out the building. Rumlow made it out, to the riverside. He watched as Barnes and Rogers slogged out of the river nearby, then they all turned to watch the building collapse. “How many people were still inside?” Rogers asked him off comm.

“Probably hundreds,” Rumlow said. “But… you know, if Pierce didn’t make it out…”

“He wanted us to take his place?” Rogers said.

Rumlow nodded. 

“Good,” Barnes said. “First thing first,” he added. He glanced at Rogers, who nodded at him. Rumlow didn’t see him move, but a second later, he felt a bullet hit him in the gut. 

Rumlow staggered back. “What?” he managed. He fell to his knees.

“Did you really think we were loyal to HYDRA?” Rogers asked quietly. “Did you really think Bucky wouldn’t want revenge for decades of torture?”

“And did you really think Steve would join you?” Barnes asked.

“It’s not…”

“You brought about your own destruction, Rumlow,” Rogers said. “I wish you had been a better man.” He nodded at Barnes again. “Buck, I know you want to make him suffer, but we don’t have the time.”

Barnes sighed and aimed at Rumlow’s forehead. “I know,” he said.

Rumlow had just enough time to take another painful breath before Barnes fired.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

Steve looked down at Rumlow’s body. “It’s not enough,” Bucky said. 

“At least one of your tormenters is dead, probably more,” Steve offered.

Bucky sighed. “Better than nothing,” he muttered. “And he knew why he was dying, too.”

Steve nodded. “I wish he had been a better man,” he said again.

“If not him, it would have been someone else,” Bucky said. He looked down at the man in disgust. “Let’s go,” he said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

Steve nodded. “We do,” he said. “Let’s find someone who can tell us what happened in the building.”

“And I really want to know how Fury survived.”

Steve grinned. “Well, you were shooting based on where I was looking, not on where he was. Maybe you missed something vital.”

Bucky’s gesture was one they’d learned in Italy in 1944, and invited Steve to do something rather anatomically impossible.

Steve snickered and they headed away from the river side by side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, I freely admit that this chapter is partially a wish fulfillment on my part. I've been wanting to have something like this happen to Rumlow since I first saw The Winter Soldier last April (honestly, he's a character I love to hate, if you can understand that). I have hopes that something like it will happen in Civil War, but not too high of hopes.


	22. And they lived Happily Ever After

Bucky sighed as he closed another paper file. “That should be it for today. The Joint Chiefs are clear,” he said.

“Good, because it’s dinner time,” Steve called from the kitchen. “Clean the files off the table and help me get the food on it.”

Bucky grinned. Dismantling HYDRA had turned out to be easier than Steve and Bucky (and Steve’s friends) had thought.

In the confusion after the Helicarriers fell, no one noticed as HYDRA base after HYDRA base was raided. Eventually, the majority of the HYDRA agents realized that they were under attack. Steve and Bucky had gone to ground after the Helicarrier attack. Most people who weren’t HYDRA thought Steve had been injured in the attack. Those who knew he hadn’t been were the ones he was feeding base locations to.

As one of the new “heads” of HYDRA, Steve had been relentless in knowing everything he could about the organization he was now in charge of. Bucky had been, as always, right by his side. They were careful, but eventually, someone realized that the non-HYDRA SHIELD agents had a spy.

Bucky had taken the opportunity to use the witch hunt to kill a few more of his torturers. 

Steve wasn’t sure he approved of the revenge, but he certainly couldn’t disapprove. They’d discussed it, and Steve had let Bucky know that he didn’t like how messy Bucky was making it, but he wasn’t going to stop his friend. Bucky had toned it down after that. He still killed them, but was more likely to simply shoot them through the heart.

Eventually, everyone who knew how to operate the chair was dead.

By that time, HYDRA was falling apart. Steve knew that there was no way to get every single member of HYDRA, but as long as he made sure the organization could never return, he’d be happy.

So Bucky had proposed the plan they’d used. Steve had gone public- very public. He’d mailed the lists of HYDRA members, their crimes, and where they were to nearly every single news organization in the USA, Russia, China, England, India, and every other country where HYDRA had a foothold.

And then, Bucky had turned himself in to a group of SHIELD agents. He’d told them everything, from being found in the ice and snow, to the torture, to the wipes, to what he and Steve had done.

Their leader, Phil Coulson, was a good man, and with his team, they’d hunted down the remaining HYDRA spies in the US government- and there were still a lot of them. Other countries were doing the same, to greater or lesser success.

And then Steve had mailed a tape to CNN and BBC. In it, he told his story, how he had joined HYDRA in order to destroy it.

That was the final straw. HYDRA’s command structure, already decimated, collapsed. Millions of people all over the world had been arrested, or killed in standoffs. 

At this point, it was just clean up, and finding and untangling whatever HYDRA had influenced for seventy years. Bucky was very good at spotting HYDRA influence, so that’s what he and Steve spent most of their time doing now, aided with their access to HYDRA databases.

Bucky grinned up at Steve. “I always knew you’d make someone a good housewife someday. I never thought it’d be me.” He started moving the paperwork.

Steve flipped him off casually. “You’re a dick, Bucky,” he said.

Bucky smirked. “And you love it,” he said.

Steve smiled. “Yeah,” he admitted. He leaned over the paperwork Bucky was carrying and kissed Bucky. Bucky really just wanted to drop his armful and kiss back, but he was hungry. They broke apart. 

Bucky smiled as he dumped the papers on the couch and Steve brought out the food. Yes, despite the winding road they’d taken, they were here, alive, and happy. And they’d won.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone who’s read this has enjoyed it. It’s been a long trip- over a year since I first posted this on avengerkink. Thank you to every single person who has reviewed, given me kudos, or just clicked on the story. This has, I think, been my most popular story ever. Nearly 250 kudos! WOW! Thank you all. I know I haven’t replied to the reviews, but thank you, every single one of you. It’s readers who make it all worthwhile. And thanks to the anon who first gave me this prompt- it’s been an interesting ride, and it’s all thanks to your idea. I hope you like what I did with the story.
> 
> I am pretty sure there are plenty of stories in the time between the end of the last chapter and the epilogue, but the only ones I particularly want to tell is any and all reactions to Steve’s deception. Any ideas I have will go in “Say WHAT?” but otherwise, I think I’m done with this universe. I have other plans- I’m hoping to return to my Winter Soldiers universe in December or so- but we’ll see what happens. 
> 
> Thank you, everyone, for the encouragement. I enjoyed everyone’s reactions, and I hope to see you all again.


End file.
